Two Worlds Collide
by bohemianxx
Summary: It's a comfort to know when you're singing the hit-the-road blues, that anywhere else you could possibly go after New York would be.. a pleasure cruise. SerenaBlair slash. Waldsen.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**** Hello to all. :D Welcome to my first Gossip Girl fanfic **_**ever**_**. I seriously thought I'd never get around to writing one of these, but after watching all the D/S bullshit lately, I just had to write this. May not be the greatest, but it is my first after all and I know I would of drove myself crazy if i didn't write it. Plot bunnies never die.**

**Warning:**** I guess the only major warning about this is that it **_**is**_** indeed femslash. Don't like? Don't read. Simple as that. I think that Blair and Serena's chemistry is beyond fantastic and the vibes coming off of them are just too gay to **_**not **_**write about. But if you're, I don't know, blind? and can't see the femslashy goodness that is Waldsen, well now. Click the back button, it'll link back to whatever you were looking at before.**

**Disclaimer:**** Don't own a thing. Seriously. Because if i did, Dan would be off with Vanessa, Chuck would have Nate, Jenny would die and Serena and Blair would be together. But alas, I don't. And also, the title of the fic, "Life is a Highway" belongs to Tom Cochrane. I think. I actually prefer the Rascal Flatts version or even the version from Clash of the Choirs. But either way, it doesn't belong to me.**

**Song Used For Chapter Title:**** The Changeling by The Doors**

**Now that all of that's settled, on with the ficcage!**

* * *

_**Prologue - But I've Never Been So Broke That I Couldn't Leave Town**_

If Blair Waldorf would of known then what she knows now, she would of left New York City a_ long _time before she actually did. If she would of known of the golden haired beauty that awaited her in the city of Chicago, she would of willingly hitch-hiked her way across the country. Weather, lunatics, _her mother, _be damned.

If she would of known of the events in her soon-to-be future, now present, she wouldn't of felt so guilty getting on that plane. She wouldn't of felt so guilty leaving all her friends and family (her mother) behind. She wouldn't of felt so guilty looking into Nate's eyes at the airport. If she only would've known of the eyes that would soon be captivating her by their beauty. If only.

But she didn't. So she couldn't help but feel guilty as Nate rushed up to her, declaring his love.

"Blair!... Don't go!... I love you!" Nate panted in betweenbreaths, somehow making his way past security.

"Nate, go home. I'm going to Chicago and there's nothing that you can do to stop me. I'm sorry, but this is just something I have to do." She said, picking up her luggage off the lounging area floor, getting ready for whenever they decided to board passengers.

"But, how could you just leave me like this? You didn't even tell me you were going. Your_ maid _told me!"

Okay, so maybe she should of told him. But when she really thinks about it, it's not like she owed him anything, not after what he did..

"I thought I was your boyfriend, Blair! You're going to go off and tell the maid before you even tell _me?_" He was beyond fuming now, but his eyes were still glossy and sad looking. Boy, he sure did know how to break a girl's heart.

"Well Nate, she did help me pack," she says chuckling, trying to soften the mood. Realizing that Nate didn't seem all that giddy at the moment, she continues. "Look, Nate. My flight's leaving and I only have seconds to spare, so I'm going to make this quick.. I don't love you anymore." There it was, all on the table. Short, sweet, and simple as ever.

The look on his face only deepened with shock, just adding on to the sadness. "You what? Blair.. how.. why.. when did this happen?"

"Now boarding all non-stop, first class passengers on flight D11 to Chicago Mid-Way at Gate D. I repeat, now boarding all non-stop, first class passengers on flight D11 to Chicago Mid-Way at Gate D." A woman behind an American Airlines desk announced into a phone.

"That's my flight," said Blair, trying to avoid answering Nate's earlier question. "Goodbye, Nate."

And without a fleeting glance, she was gone. Leaving a very confused and upset Nate Archibald in the middle of JFK Airport, but also embarking on a new chapter of her life. A better one.


	2. Loved You With A Fire Red

**Author's Note:**** Italtics are flashbacks. Also, I honestly have no clue what a penthouse looks like and I'm too poor to ever know, so bare with me while I try and babble out my idea of a penthouse.**

**Warning:**** There's a mention of drugs. Deal with it, ooh. Stupid Corbin Blue or however the fuck you spell his name.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Gossip Girl or the characters in it. Not even Brooke or Peyton belong to me, but I thought they'd make a cameo apperance. : As for Wilson, yeah. He's mine.**

**Song Used For Chapter Title:**** Apologize by OneRepublic**

* * *

_**Chapter One: Loved You With A Fire Red, Now It's Turning Blue**_

"Nate, no. No, I won't. Nate.. Nate. Nate listen!" Blair Waldorf sighs into her phone, trying very hard to shut up an extremely clingy Nate Archibald. But from the looks of things, not hard enough. "NATE!" She screams, finally resorting to yelling at the boy to cease his talking. When all she hears on the other end is silence, she figures mission accomplished.

Sighing once again, she continues. "I told you last week. I just.. can't with you any more." Now a day's, she's not too fond of walking down the street and talking on the phone at the same time. She learned her lesson too many times back in New York City, when she'd find her phone conversations posted on Gossip Girl the very next day after having them. So, she steps inside a secluded alley before finishing up the rest of her conversation with Nate. "You've become too boring, too _blah_ for me. I'm a Waldorf, Nate. I need excitement and you? You're just not providing that for me right now. I'm sorry."

"But Blair, I _love _you. I've loved you since we were kids!" A very desperate Nate declares.

"And I loved you for your impulsive personality. But hint at the word_ loved_, Nate. When that part of _you_ went away, so did the part of _me_ that loved you." She doesn't really know how else to say it. She thought she explained everything clearly to him back in New York. Okay, so she didn't really say all that much, but still. She would of figured that "_I don't love you anymore_" indicated a whole lot. She thought the fact that she told him this at the _airport_, with her flight minutes away from departing to Chicago, pretty much explained the whole "my-love-for-you-has-gone-away-and-is-never-coming-back" thing. But Blair is now sure she thought wrong.

The person at the other end remains silent, his breathing the only indication that he's still on the phone. Right when Blair opens her mouth to speak, the boy back in New York beats her to it. "So that's it, huh? That's the end of us? You're just going to live in Chicago now? Forget about me, Chuck, Brooke, Peyton, your mother?"

Oh, here we go. The guilt trip. So very _Archibald _of him to do. Like father, like son, she always thought. Well, two can play at this game. "Nate. You think I don't know who I'm leaving behind? You think I don't know that all of you are back there in New York? All of you, just going on with your perfect little lives while I'm just trying to adjust to mine here? Well, guess what? I _do _know. I know and I'm_ okay _with knowing. I'm _fucking_ content with knowing, okay? Because this is just what I need right now, Nate. I need to be here in Chicago, while all of you remain miles away. I just need to be away from the _drama_ for once in my life. I need a fresh start and you.. just really need to accept that." Blair finishes, hoping that that little speech cleared everything up for the poor guy.

He sighs, finally seeming to realize his defeat. "Okay. I understand, Blair. Really, I do."

And with that, she is grinning and breathing relief. "Okay. So.. I'm guessing we're done here?"

The boy nods, even though this goes unnoticed by the girl in Chicago. "I guess we are. But Blair?"

"Hmm?"

"I really do love you."

"And I thought I did too."

-------------------------

After hanging up with Nate, Blair steps out of the alley to continue her walk back to her aunt's place. She never felt this content back in New York. She'd always have a limo driving her places, she'd hardly ever resort to walking. The only time she did was when she was walking from shop to shop, which were usually located next door to one another. But there's something different about Chicago, Blair thinks. Something so breath-taking, elating, _free_ about walking down the street and knowing that no one knows who you are, who your parents are, or what you've done. Blair likes it, likes it alot.

Now, she's only been in this city for a week, but she feels like she's been here much longer than that. It's like she knows her way around these streets like the back of her hand, like she's been here her whole life, like her mother knows fashion.

Hmm. _Her mother. _

Blair doesn't really like thinking all that much about her mother these days because she can't help but feel a little guilty for leaving her behind. She hasn't even spoken to her mother since she left. Eleanor refuses to pick up any of her calls or return any of her messages. Blair has left at least a dozen, apologizing in each one for leaving.

It's not like she wanted to, well not neccessarily. She wanted to leave for different reasons. Reasons not concerning her mother. Reasons concerning a one Mr. Nate Archibald.

If you were to ask Brooke or Peyton about why Blair up and high tailed it out of New York, they would of told you it was about her mother. They would of said that it was because her mother was never home and hardly payed any attention to Blair when she was. They would of said that Blair just longed for a love that only her dearest and most favorite aunt could give. That's what they would of said if you were to ask them. But that was only the lie Blair had fed them to cover up the truth because the truth was, the truth hurt too much to think about, muchless talk about.

Nate had _cheated_. Blair Waldorf had been cheated _on_. This would of been, by far, the juiciest gossip that Gossip Girl would of ever received.

You can see where this would of caused problems.

Blair and Nate were practically the ultimate power couple on the Upper East Side. All of their peers knew them and all of the adults knew them. With all four of their parents being who they were, they were quite a force to be reckoned with. Everyone expected them to grow up, get married, start a family, and end up just as sucessful as their parents. And Blair was okay with all of this. More than okay with all of this, actually. At least, up until the night she walked in on Nate.

_Chuck Bass had once again thrown another party inside his elegant penthouse. This time in celebration of.. well, nothing. If you knew Chuck Bass, you knew he liked to party. He liked to party __**hard**__. And if you've ever been to one of his parties, you knew that the people invited were exactly the same way._

_Blair Waldorf being an exception, of course. Sure, she liked to party, but she partied with __**class**__. Chuck was all about strippers, booze, and more strippers. Blair was more of a dancing kind of person. She'd like to have a nice glass of wine or a martini and then just dance by herself for the rest of the night. Never grinding up against a boy's pelvis like Brooke was known for and never hiding out in corners doing drugs like Peyton was known for. Dancing by herself proved that Blair Waldorf didn't need anyone besides Blair Waldorf to get by and have a good time. Not even Nate. _

_Until the one night, she did._

_Blair was not having a good day. Her mother had left once again for some city or other to have a photoshoot with a couple of her models for an upcoming magazine ad. Now, this usually didn't bother Blair. It's not like she cared one way or another. She learned a long time ago that this was her mother's work, her passion, and she was in no way ready to give that up just to spend some time with her one and only daughter. But what was really bugging Blair this time about her mother's absence was that her mother would be not be alone during this little 'business trip'. _

_Seems like Eleanor Waldorf had finally gotten over her now ex-husband and fell in love with a man named Wilson. At least that's what her mother says, Blair doesn't believe it though. Blair believes that her mother has never truely gotten over her father and never will. Blair believes that her mother will use poor, naive Wilson for sex (which disgusts Blair more than it upsets her) and then kick him to the curb when she finally realizes that he's not Blair's father. Don't get Blair wrong, Wilson seems like a good guy and all, but he'll never be her father. In Blair's eyes nor her mother's. _

_And it's that fact that really gets to Blair. She doesn't really understand why her mother has to try to find a new daddy for her, has to build a makeshift family like that. It's not like he'd be around to look after Blair. No, he'd be by Eleanor's side all the time, which is hardly ever at the Waldorf residence. Maybe he'd even make a few cameo appearances at dinner from time to time, whenever Eleanor was at home, and they'd share a laugh. But it's not like he'd ever take the place of her father, and it's not like she'd ever resort to calling him 'Daddy'. She loves her father too much to ever do that to him, and it's love, or the lack thereof, that brings her to her next point. _

_After her mother's depature, Blair is starting to feel a little contemplative. And it seems to Blair that love has never really been a big constant in her life. Not only in her now broken home (which if she really thinks about it, isn't sure if it was ever really whole to begin with), but also with Nate. Sure, they'll share I love you's after a night out or a heated make-out session in his limo, but Blair's not really sure if their love is real. She thinks it's more of a thing to say, rather than a thing felt when it comes to them. It's something Blair says because she likes to hear it said back and it's something Nate says because.. well, Blair's not sure. Maybe he says it because he knows he has to or Blair would start to question. Maybe he says it because he knows that his parents are already booking caterers__for their wedding. Maybe he says it because he knows the entire Upper East Side is expecting it of him. Maybe even, and this it the biggest maybe, he really does love her. Maybe he says it because he means it, because he feels it in his heart, because he can't wait to spend the rest of his life with her. Maybe. _

_But the thing is, Blair has never been a fan of 'maybes'. She likes definate answers when it comes to extremely important things like her heart. So, Blair decides that tonight at another one of Chuck's infamous parties, she's going to find Nate and together they're going to make a definate __**yes**__ for the first time. _

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_Blair's an hour and a half late as usual. She's been to enough of these things to know that if you arrive any earlier, you'll sit around bored while Chuck feeds you drink after drink and by the time more guests start to arrive, you'll be too trashed to even mutter a simple hello. But by the time she gets there, the party has long past started and Blair's more excited than ever. She can just feel the magic inside this room, and she can't wait to feel the magic later on in the bedroom. She skims the room and sees Brooke and Peyton chatting it up near the bar and Chuck already making out with his flavor of the week on the other side of the room. Blair decides that Brooke and Peyton would be the better of the company to have until Nate arrives._

_She saunters up to the bar and greets them. "Hey Brooke. Hey Peyton."_

_They both look up from their drinks and Brooke's eyes light up. "Hey Blair-bear!" she says with a goofy smile, obviously from the booze. She gets up and hugs Blair, some of her drink splashing out the glass and onto the floor. "'Bout time you made it! I was just telling Blondie over here that a party isn't a party without a Waldorf present." Peyton half smiles at Blair after this is said and Blair returns it. "Come, have a seat! Have a drink!" Declares Brooke, slurring slighty. Blair does as she is told and the three of them sit in idle chit-chatter._

_That is until Blair asks, "Have either of you seen Nate tonight?" _

_Brooke looks confused at this question. "Fate? Fate who? I don't know anyone named Fate. Do you, Peyton?"_

_Peyton can't help but chuckle at her now more than tipsy friend. "No Brooke, I don't know a Fate." Looking to Blair, she then says, "But I do know a Nate. Uh, I haven't seen him since he walked in, which was about ten minutes before you did. He's around here somewhere. If you look for him, I bet you'll find him."_

_Blair smiles and Peyton smiles back. "Well, alright. Guess it wouldn't hurt to look, you know how Nate is. Trying to find me in this crowd is more like trying to find a needle in a haystack for him. I'll catch up with you guys later on, okay?"_

_Peyton nods and right when Blair's about to get up from her stool, she turns and points to Brooke. "Oh, and take care of her." _

_The three of them share a chuckle, Brooke being the only one laughing for no particular reason, and then Blair is off in search of Nate. _

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_Fifteen minutes later, Blair still can't find Nate. She has searched every inch of this room and still nothing. She even tracked down Chuck, who still had a girl attached to his tongue, and even he said he hadn't seen Nate since he walked through the door. _

_This was starting to piss Blair off. Blair didn't like chasing after a boy who already belonged to her. And she especially didn't like chasing after him when the both of them had something __**very **__important to do. Leaning up against a wall, deciding to rest for a few minutes before searching for him again, she hums to The Pussycat Dolls, thinking just ironic that is considering that Nate should be loosening up __**her **__buttons right about now. But instead, he's off somewhere doing God knows what. _

_Scanning the room, she observes all the people dancing. Leaning, grinding, and dropping it like it's hot. If she weren't on a mission, she'd go off and join the crowd. She'd let herself go like she does every time and just let the music overtake her. She'd feel the bass (not Chuck) pump through her like a pulse and she'd enjoy every second of it. But she can't. Not now. Not when she has important things to do, __**life-altering**__ things to do. She can't just waste her precious moments dancing away, even if she really wants to. With that thought in mind, she pushes herself off the wall and starts her search once again._

_She mingles in with the dancing teenagers, trying to make her way across the room to start her whole search process over again. She looks at almost every male face and none of them are Nate. It's really not that big of a room, so she doesn't really understand how she can't find him in here. It's with that thought that it dawns on her, she's only searched __**this**__ room. Chuck's bank account can afford much more than just a one room penthouse, this Blair knows. She smiles and heads towards a small hallway leading to two bedrooms and a bathroom. _

_Now, if Blair knows Nate at all, she knows he likes to smoke. And at these parties, almost every guy in the room had a joint somewhere on him. Chuck made it a tradition, a rule even. If you attended his parties and had a penis, you were __**supposed **__to have one. He didn't really expect the girls to have them. Most of the girls around here were known for snorting things, but Chuck wasn't into that. He'd allow it, but he was more of a marijuana man himself. Nate was the same way. Now granted, Nate didn't light one up as often as Chuck did, but Chuck was definately to blame when he did decide to. Chuck would have one, Nate would smoke. Chuck's friends would have one, Nate would smoke. Chuck would throw a party where both he and his friends had 'em, Nate would smoke. It was just the way things were and the last being the one to apply to this particular moment, Blair was betting almost anything on the fact that Nate was smoking. And when Nate smoked, he smoked in the bathroom._

_When she reaches the door, she slowly turns the handle knowing that when Nate's high, he's jumpy and scaring the shit out of him in a room full of possible dangers, was not a good idea. Finally opening it, she sighs, finding the bathroom completely empty and smelling smoke free. Damn, she really thought that he would be in here too. Where else could he possibly be? He wasn't at the bar, he wasn't on the dancefloor, he wasn't smoking and the only room left was.. the bedroom. No, no. He wouldn't be in there. He wasn't the type. He wouldn't do that to her.. Would he? _

_Nate had always been so protective of Blair. Always sticking up for her, ready to punch anyone who would dare speak to her unkindly, always there to comfort her when she was down. Nate was a good guy. Nate was her knight in shining armor. Sure, knights may have smoked from time to time, but they sure as hell didn't cheat. But even with this in mind, it didn't stop Blair from turning towards the guest bedroom. With her hand on the doorknob, she knew that when she did finally turn it, she would only be welcomed to the site of an empty, made bed and not the site of Nate and another girl. She would just sigh again and go off in search of Nate again, being both pissed and relieved at the same time. This she knew. This she was sure of._

_Until she wasn't. Until she saw Nate, her knight, writhing underneath a girl she didn't know. Kissing this girl like he did to Blair so many nights before. Unbuttoning her blouse like Blair had desired to have done to her only minutes before. And it was then that she learned one thing about knights in shining armor: along with smoking, they also cheated._

After that night, Blair hadn't been the same around Nate and Nate hadn't acted any different around Blair. Blair, not wanting to break down in front of him and his.. _whore_, closed the door very quickly and quietly after she saw them. Blair knew herself all too well and knew that once Nate had seen her and was about to explain and more than likely throw a bunch of bullshit her way, she'd raise her voice louder than _anything_ or _anyone_ at the party. She'd make sure that her voice was_ so well heard_, he'd hear it being played over and over in his head for weeks. But she also knew that she'd be so loud, everyone in the place would already be recording it to send to Gossip Girl. Which Blair could _not _have. Blair Waldorf did _not_ freak out and break down in front of people. She always kept the cool, calm, and collected stance when she was angry and there was no way in hell that it would take Nate cheating on her to break that. Even if, she really was breaking on the inside.

Blair had been a mess for about two weeks. Ditching classes to cry, buying everything and anything just to take away the pain, and even skipping out on all of Chuck's parties in fear of having history repeat itself. Or what Blair was afraid of, having the present go on before her eyes. After the _incident_, as Blair had come to call it, she wasn't too sure what Nate was up to. Sure they talked, but they talked like they always did. You always see these women on shows like Cheaters and Maury, saying that their boyfriend or husband was always distant which led them to believe he was cheating, but that just wasn't the case with Nate. He acted just the same before the party as he did after.

And all of that was just too confusing to Blair. She wanted to know exactly what was going on, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She knew if she stayed with him, she'd be miserable; always questioning whether or not he loved her and whether or not he was still cheating. But she also knew that if she broke up with him, it'd be all over the Upper East Side and she knew that she just wouldn't be able to deal with the questions from peers nor parents. So she did the only thing she could do, she left. She left all of it, all of them behind. Yeah, Blair would suppose that not all ties were severed considering that Nate still kept calling and she got a couple of e-mails from Chuck and Brooke already, but it was the best she could do. In New York, she was just one step closer every day to having 'the talk' with Nate and she just refused to let that happen. Telling him that she didn't love him, which was getting easier to believe with each passing day, was less complicated to do. It didn't take work to tell him that. It didn't take work to leave the city. But healing did.

Just as she finishes this thought, she instantly finds herself on the ground staring into the most beautiful pair of eyes she's ever seen. And even though Blair Waldorf would usually be calling this girl almost every bad name in the book because _nobody_ makes a Waldorf fall on dingy city ground without paying for it, she just can't bring herself to. How could you _ever _say anything bad to a person with eyes like that?

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. So, so sorry." says the other girl. "Here, let me help you up."

She reaches out for Blair's hand and Blair accepts it, which is another thing Waldorf's are not known for. Blair doesn't need anyone to help her, a Waldorf doesn't need anyone to help them. Waldorf's can make it on their own, but it's when Blair stands that she's more than glad she accepted the offer. Standing before her is _by far _the most gorgeous girl Blair has ever laid eyes upon. She has blond hair cascading not too much past her shoulders, a tattered leather jacket with a semi-sparkling, tight-fitting wifebeater on underneath, along with ripped dark jeans and matching combat boots. Now, Blair wouldn't usually go for this look, seeing it as being untrendy and rather tacky, but it's something about this girl. Like Blair couldn't even imagine a better way for her to look if she tried. This look, these clothes suit the blond girl very much and just because of that, Blair likes them.

"-okay?" Blair hears the blond girl say. Soaking everything that was this girl, Blair forgot to listen.

"What?" she blurts, all sense of composure thrown to the wind.

The blond chuckles and says, "I said, are you okay?"

Blair feels like a complete idiot now and can sense the heat rising from her cheeks. What the hell? Waldorf's do _not _blush. "Oh um, yeah. I'm fine."

"Good. I'm glad," and the blond is smiling this thousand watt smile that makes Blair want to smile herself, and she does. They're caught up in this moment that feels like forever, but really only lasts about five seconds until the blond speaks again. "Well alright then. I better be going. I got this friend I got to meet. But um, I'm sorry I knocked you down."

And just like that the blond is walking past Blair and Blair is finding it hard to speak because all she can really concentrate on is the way this girl's voice sounds. It's silky, it's smooth, but also a little rough around the edges. Blair could find herself listening to it all day. A few moments pass and Blair finally realizes that the girl is not in front of her anymore. When she finally does turn around to yell at the blond to wait up, she's already half-way down the block. Blair stands in place watching the girl until she turns a corner and leaves Blair's sight.

"I never got your name," Blair whispers to no one but herself and turns around to continue her descent down the Chicago street.

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Possibly love it? Tell me, please! I'd love to know.**

**I honestly don't know when the next chapter will be posted. So hang in there.**

**Peace&Love - bohemianxx**


	3. You Hang Just Like A Ghost

**Author's Note: At the end of chapter.**

**Warning: Femslash BLAHBLAHBLAH. If you made it this far, you know what it's about.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, how sad. **

**Song Used For Chapter Title: Daisychains by Youth Group**

* * *

_**Chapter Two: You Hang Just Like A Ghost Over City Streets**_

It's been about two weeks since Blair had the run in, literally, with the blonde. And if you were to ask Blair, she was going _cra-zy_.

She doesn't know what it is about this girl, this girl she talked with for all of about forty-five seconds, but she definately made an impact on the brunette. It's like all Blair can think about these days is the blonde, the nameless blonde who knocked her over in the middle of the sidewalk and Blair can't quite understand why.

She wants to say that she's just starving for attention. She hasn't seen anyone besides her aunt and random faces on the street, which all begin to blur together at some point, in almost a month. And she hasn't talked to anyone from back home in about a week. So, the amount of attention she was getting was _very _limited. She also wants to say that all she cares to know about this girl is her name because it's been bugging the hell out of her for the past two weeks and all she wants is a little mystery solved. She thinks this girl owes her _that much _after making her expensively covered ass hit the pavement. Coming from a family who spent more on fashion than anything else, this made alot of sense. To the average listener, this wouldn't sound suspiciousat all.

But to the most intelligent of listeners, Gossip Girl readers mainly, this would sound too perfect, too _flawless_ to be true. Because really, Blair is just _hopelessly_ fascinated by this girl. _Completely_ and _utterly_ awestruck and all she wants to do is talk to her some more, get to know her. Blair wants to know more than just her name, even though she would like to have the privilege of rolling it around her mouth like a piece of candy anytime she pleased. Blair wants to know where she lives, what school she goes to, what her family's like, who her friends are, what she's interested in; everything. But that's just something the average listener wouldn't be able to pick up on.

And for this, Blair is truely thankful.

Blair used to always think about how she had practically no one in the world (Nate being the one and only exception of course and look how that turned out). She had no mom, no dad, no siblings, hardly any true friends; Blair Waldorf was a loner. In some sense of the word, anyhow. She had people from_ all over _the Upper East Side craving to have a piece of her, but it's not like any one of them cared. Not really.

All of the teens wanted to climb up the social ladder and all of the adults wanted to get closer to her mother. None of them _ever _provided a shoulder to cry on, none of them were _ever_ there when she needed them. And this used to really bother her. Bother her to a breaking point. Hell, even _past _a breaking point. Every time she cried, every time she couldn't breathe, every time she heaved her dinner into the toilet and felt so empty afterward, every time she just _really _needed someone to hold her hand.. no one was ever there. She had no support system. Blair Waldorf was Blair Waldorf's support system and no matter how much she told herself she was independent, she really wasn't. Maybe to her mother and to the kids at school she was and maybe she even convinced herself at one point she was, but there were just times when she needed someone to notice a change and take action.

And maybe back then that would of been a nice thing to have, a support system, but now she's happy no one notices a change. Because how could she possibly explain this one? '_Aunt Victoria, I know I haven't been myself lately and I apologize. You must think I'm homesick, but I'm not. Honestly, if I was going to miss New York that much, I never would of left. See, a couple of weeks ago, I ran into this girl. This __**amazingly **__gorgeous girl and now I really just want to see her again. Now, don't start asking me about sexuality and all that because I'm afraid I can't even answer questions like that myself. But if you do have any advice, I'm all ears_.'

Yeah, as if.

But Blair supposes that it _does_ kind of suck not having anyone to talk to. Especially now at 9:30 on a Friday night. She was never one to spend much time at home. She always liked being with friends, or at the very least, people who resembled them. But being in a big, empty house in a big, might as well be empty city, she had no choice but to stay inside. She had no choice but to lay in the queen size bed her aunt had in the guest bedroom with her iPod and just.. think. Think about the people in New York and the people in Chicago, or rather, _the person _in Chicago. The one person she really shouldn't think about. The one _girl_ she really shouldn't think about.

She pauses her iPod (because really, what help is _Daisychains_ at a time like this?), and picks up her phone off the nightstand. She decides that if the girls in Chicago aren't healthy for her, maybe a girl back home is. It rings three times before the voicemail picks up.

"_You've reached Brooke Davis's voicemail. I'm not in at the moment.. oh, screw that. I'm not picking up because I don't feel like it or I really just don't like you. And if it's the latter, why are you even calling?_" **BEEEEEEEEEEEP.**

Blair shuts her phone with a soft chuckle. Brooke would never cease to amaze her. Instead of putting her phone down on the nightstand, she puts down her iPod and raises herself off the bed. The house may be empty and the city might feel a little empty, but Blair knows damn well that it isn't. And neither is she.

-------------------------

The wind whips furiously around Blair's previously perfectly matted hair. Being in this city for only about a month, and she already understands why they call it 'The Windy City'. Anything else would be unfitting. No, scratch that. 'The Bitterly-Cold-As-Fucking-Hell City' would fit much better.

She's been walking for about 20 minutes now, and still hasn't found herself a destination. Seems that the city isn't as empty as she thought it was. It's actually pretty full. A lot of buildings, a lot of cars, and a lot of people. A lot of _groups_ of people. And it's this that makes Blair feel a little depressed. Makes her think back to where her mind was minutes ago, lying in her bed. She's one of the only parties of one walking down the street. There's friends walking arm in arm, parents with their children, couples. She passes people alone like herself once every couple of blocks. With this wind and pessimistic mood that's washing over her, she's starting to regret taking this trip. Maybe being alone in her aunt's house would of been the better choice.

The wind finally lets up a bit, giving Blair the chance to look around at her surroundings without having to squint. And what do you know? She's in the exact same spot she was in two weeks before, only this time, she's standing. But it's really no surprise that her heel-clad feet took her to this spot. It's the same spot she's been dreaming of _and_ avoiding for the past two weeks.

Now, you'd think that she'd want to hang around this spot as often as possible because who knows? She might just see that girl again. But no. Blair's been avoiding this street corner with such a passion, it might as well be considered a religion. She wants to see this girl, no doubt about it. But then what? After she'd spot the blonde, what was she supposed to do? Wave? Smile? Go straight up to her and start talking a mile a minute? Many would say that Blair Waldorf was a very well-composed young lady. But for some reason, when it came to this girl, she was nothing more than one big pile of mush.

She replayed their would be second meeting over and over again in her mind. And each time she did, she hated herself afterward even more. This girl didn't seem like any of the ones she knew in New York. Upper East Side girls didn't apologize. Upper East Side girls didn't wear ripped_ anything_. Upper East Side girls wouldn't even _waste_ their time asking if the other person was okay or not. This Blair knew; she was one of them. Or at least, she used to be. But Chicago girls, particulary the blonde, she knew nothing about. She didn't understand how this girl's brain functioned. Why hadn't she been mean to her? Why were her clothes ripped and so out of date? Why did she even _care _about a stranger's, Blair's, well being? This made no sense in Blair's mind, which left her without a proper greeting if she were ever to see the blonde again. And if Blair couldn't understand any of these things, these traits (traits that most good hearted people probably had, Blair now thinks), then how could a friendship or anything else for that matter ever form between them? And it's this thought that makes Blair veer off the sidewalk into a local park to sit because all of this is_ much _too heavy to think about right now.

She sits down on a bench near Buckingham Fountain, momentarily forgetting that it's dark and she's pretty. No matter what time of day it is, she finds this place soothing. The steady sound of the water, the ever passing cars and changing lights, switching from red to yellow to green and back again every couple of minutes. But she likes it better at night when someone, somewhere turns on the lights inside the fountain and the water shines in dozens of colors. She also likes the orchestra that sometimes comes on over the speakers. She can get_ so lost _sometimes in the violins and their notes that she forgets that she's even in the park and not at home.

This being one of those moments, she's suddenly shaken out of her thoughts by the feeling of new weight being added onto bench. In that split second that it takes her to move her eyes from the pretty, sparkling fountain to focus next to her, she's already trying to remember if she has mace in her purse or not. But that thought vanishes as soon as her chocolate orbs meet colbalt blue.

"Now tell me, what is a girl like yourself doing out here at this time of night?"

And just like Blair thought she would, _knew _she would, she stumbled. "O-oh uh, hi."

The blonde grins at her and waves in return. She stays like that, just grinning and staring at Blair while Blair stares back, but finding it hard to muster a grin. She can't really_ believe _this is happening. Blair feels as if this is a dream and within a matter of seconds, her alarm clock will start annoyingly buzzing in her ear, signaling morning's arrival. She feels that if she's too quick to grin, this'll all end_ far _too early.

"So, you going to answer my question or..." Right. She asked a question. With all of the nonsense running through Blair's head about dreams or would be dreams or maybe not so much dreams after all, she totally forgot about the question.

"I um, couldn't sleep. Had alot on my mind."

"Like what?" Persistent, she was. Blair wasn't too sure if she liked that.

".. Things."

"What kind of _things_?" The blonde says playfully and Blair can't help but smile. Usually she didn't like people being nosy, Gossip Girl for example, but with the blonde, none of that seemed to really matter. "Just.. things."

The blonde nods and smirks a bit, like she knows _exactly_ what kind of _things_ Blair had on her mind. "I'm Serena, by the way."

And there it was. Her name. Serena. _Serena_. _Sereeeeeena_. Blair liked it. "Blair," the brunette said sticking out her hand, trying her best to gatherherself. In New York, she didn't miss a single beat during introductions. She _always _had herself together. However, it seemed this city, this girl was making her go soft. A month in, and she already lost her Waldorf Stance. The Waldorf Stance, which used to mean at one point during her life, 'I'm not so sugar, spice, and everything nice. So, watch yourself,' didn't seem to be one she could muster anymore. All of that seemed to go away when she closed that bedroom door at Chuck's, when she came here, when she ran into this beautiful girl before her.

"Nice to meet you, Blair," Serena said, pulling Blair out of her thoughts with the same thousand watt smile that sucked Blair in, that started it all.

"And nice to meet you." _Finally_, Blair wants to say, but doesn't.

And then they're off. Brown mixes with blue and the two share their third (so what if Blair was keeping count?) steady gaze. And also for the third time (Blair's actually sad to keep this tally), the blonde breaks it.

"So okay, this is only our second time meeting and our _very first _time without any collisions.." They both chuckle at that. ".. but what are you doing tonight?"

And for the first time _ever_, Blair thinks, she's left speechless. Did this girl, Serena, actually ask her out? Well, not a date she supposes. At least she doesn't think so... _Did _Serena ask her out on a date? And if she did, would Blair--

"I know that sounds like totally forward, but you seem like you could use a break from.. well, from 'things.'" The blonde says, using airquotes.

And just like that, all thoughts of dates (or not dates) leave Blair's mind because this girl, this girl that she has talked to for about three minutes total in her entire life, _actually _cares. Serena seems to care more about Blair in the total of three minutes than anyone else ever has. Or at least, more than anyone else has in quite some time.

"What do you have in mind?" Blair asks, even though she already knows that even if the blonde wanted to take Blair to a strip club, she'd go. Because how could she blow off someone so caring like that?

"You'll see." And just like that, Serena's taking Blair's hand and pulling her up off the bench, out of the park, and down the street.

* * *

**Okay, so there's the second chapter. Hopefully ya'll liked it. **

**Sorry about the delay. I've had alot on my plate recently and trying to fit this is wasn't really working out as you can see. Hopefully this made up for lost time. **

**Thank you to all that have reviewed already and if you liked this chapter too, tell me about it. Reviews boost my writing voice. **

**Peace&Love - bohemianxx**


	4. Sweet Home Chicago

**Author's Note: Here it is, a year and a half later. I hope that someone will still be interested in this.**

**Chapter Three: Sweet Home Chicago**

"This is the best pizza I've ever tasted."

"I told you! And you said it looked like someone could get raped in here."

It turns out that Serena's surprise for Blair was taking her on a one-woman tour of the city. Or at least, _Serena's_ version of the city.

When Blair told Serena about how she just moved to Chicago, Serena had asked whether or not Blair had gotten a chance to see the city yet. Blair said yes, thinking that the Sears Tower, Navy Pier, and various museums counted as "the city." Blair was wrong. This statement then fueled the ever feisty blonde, a trait that Blair had now picked up on, to go off into a rant about tourists.

"I hate them. I hate them all because when they come here, they always go to the same places! The Sears Tower, the lake, Navy Pier. And then you see them with their stupid daughters carrying American Girl bags, as they all try to fit into one tiny trolley. It's ridiculous! What kind of cultural experience do you get from that? Downtown isn't the only part of Chicago."

Oh, this Blair knew. Turns out that Chicago had a South Side and you had to take the Orange Line to get there. Now Blair being who she was, accustomed to limos and such, she never really spent too much time on public transit. It was an experience to say the least. She had to keep reminding herself during the thirty minute ride that she was stronger than the germs that she was sitting on. She also had to tell herself that she was not afraid of the scraggly old man that sat only a few feet away from her and Serena. She figured that if that man did decide to try anything, the blonde would come to her rescue. Okay, maybe she didn't so much figure as she did fanaticize, but that was beside the point.

After the half-hour train ride and numerous death glares sent towards the old man, Blair and Serena had found themselves at a train station. Unlike the stations downtown, this one was not surrounded by skyscrapers. Instead, there was a gas station, a small outlet mall, and a Spanish grocery store that she couldn't really read the name of; no matter how many years she took Spanish. This place had a different feel altogether. If downtown was calming, this part of the city was mellow.

"Welcome home," Serena said, her smile being ever more illuminated by the street lights.

"You live here?" Blair asked.

"Uh, yeah. I do actually." The look on Serena's face was a cross between fear and shame, as if Blair was going to say something negative about it.

"Oh, that's cool," was Blair's only response. She didn't care where this girl came from and she didn't want the gorgeous blonde before her to think that she did. To add some reassurance, Blair smiled a bit and then asked, "So where are we going?"

Serena's face instantly lit up at this, forgetting whatever horrible thought that had just been swimming around in her head only a moment before. "We, my newly founded, New York City friend, are going to eat the _best_ pizza on the face of this Earth."

Turns out that once you exited the train station, it was about a block-long walk to the restaurant. As they got closer, Blair could see a red-neon sign hanging in the window that read, **Bacci's.** With the shabby-looking exterior, she thought that it sort of looked like a place that someone could get molested in. Blair didn't have a problem voicing this opinion.

"Well, a lot worse has happened. Not here, though. But be sure to remind me to never take you eat at Chicago's SECOND best pizzeria," Serena said with a chuckle as she opened up the door for the brunette to walk through.

And that's how Blair found herself sitting at a table with Serena in this dimly-lit pizza parlor with two half-eaten slices between them.

"Okay, fine. You were right. Serena, _the ever powerful_ tour guide was right. I didn't even know they_ sold_ slices of pizza this big!" Blair says, with her hand on her stomach and a smile on her face.

Serena smiles back. "Well, now you know. Thanks to me, the ever powerful tour guide." Serena does a little bow and thanks her audience of invisible millions.

A comfortable silence forms between the two of them and no matter how much Blair hates herself for breaking it, she just has to know, "So if you live on this side of town, how come the both times we've met have been downtown?"

Serena wipes her mouth with a napkin and says, "Well, I spend a lot of time over there. I do like this part of town more but its just easier being over there sometimes, y'know? Its like, I can walk down the street and no one knows who I am. No one's even paying attention to me and sometimes, I just need that." The blonde's blue eyes bore into the brunette's for a few moments before she speaks again. "That might sound weird, I know…"

Blair cuts her off, "No! I understand. _Believe me_, I do." She reaches her hand across the table to caress the blonde's and hopes that this will help make her point. She makes sure to take her hand immediately away afterwards though. Blair might know what she feels for Serena, but she doesn't know what Serena might feel for her. She doesn't know if she feels the same, if she's feeling the same electricity that Blair is. Hell, she doesn't even know if Serena likes girls! Blair doesn't even know if BLAIR likes girls!

Before she could let her brain stray any further, the blonde speaks up again. "Besides, a lot of my friends hang out or live near downtown, so instead of them making the trip to see me, its just a lot easier for me to see them." With this, the blonde rewards the brunette with a shy smile and Blair graciously gives one back.

Looking up at the clock behind Blair's head, Serena's eyes bug out. "Shit! It's already 11:45?! I have to get up early to meet my friend for breakfast. Would it be okay if we ended the night here?"

"Oh, sure. No problem."

"Okay, but I'll call a cab for you and have it pick you up at the train station. I'll walk you there." And with that, they're grabbing their coats and shuffling out the door.

------

"Aren't you cold in that leather jacket?" Blair asks as soon as they step into the December night chill.

"Nah, not really. It's like, after living in this city your entire life, the winters don't really get to you so much. You're kind of used to it."

Blair nods at this and the rest of their short journey is silent. Now usually, Blair wasn't a big fan of silence. Silence, in her world, usually only produced bad things. Silence meant someone (usually herself) was angry. Silence led to awkward situations. Silence often left the air feeling heavy and guilty. But it seemed that with Serena, silence was anything but those things. It was comfortable, it was light. It was like silence was a language of their own. Something they could speak without actually opening their mouths. Blair liked this.

"I can't believe I have to come back here on Monday." Blair looks up at this and sees that Serena's looking across the street. Following her gaze, Blair sees that on the other side of the street, there stands a giant brown building. There's an awning that reads **Curie Metropolitan High School** right above the doors. "Two weeks is seriously not a long enough winter break if you ask me."

Blair smiles at this while keeping her gaze on the ground. "I understand completely."

"What was school like in New York?"

"The same as everywhere else, I guess. I mean, you had your gossip, your cliques, your Queen Bee." Blair wasn't sure yet if she wanted to share with Serena just _who_ was the Queen Bee back at Constance Billard. Blair knew right from the moment that she bumped into Serena that she wasn't one of those girls. She didn't seem like the type of girl who'd get a thrill from talking about someone behind their back. And the absolute last thing Blair wanted to share with her was that she was the kind of girl who did, the kind of girl who used to.

The blonde chuckles and it's so cold outside that Blair can see the wisps of breath as they leave her mouth. "I guess it really doesn't matter where you go to school. Everyone's going to find a reason to hate you."

Finally, a yellow taxicab pulls up to where the two are huddled under a street light.

"So when can I see you again?" The blonde smiles one of her perfect, genuine smiles while saying this and Blair doesn't think she's ever seen anyone do something more honest in her life.

"Whenever you're available, I guess." Blair may have been going through a metamorphosis of sorts for the past couple of weeks, but the Queen Bee inside of her still knew that in a situation like this, you never want to appear too needy. No matter how _truly_ needy you were on the inside.

"You know since this is the last weekend before school, why don't you come with me to breakfast tomorrow? With school starting up on Monday, who knows when the next time we'll be able to see each other will be. Besides, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine."

"Okay," Blair says as she opens up the door to the taxi. "Just call or text me with the details and I'll be there."

"How about I'll text you in the morning and you text me back with your address so that way we could walk there together?"

"Okay. I'll talk to you then." Blair smiles up at Serena and is just about to close the door when the blonde grabs her arm. "Wait!"

The brunette looks up at the blonde with a furrowed brow. "I don't even have your number," comes the shy response.

"Oh, silly me. Here you go." Blair reaches into her purse and pulls out a wallet-size piece of paper.

Serena looks down at the business card in her hand, then shoots the brunette an incredulous look. "You carry a business card?"

"It's a New York thing. You wouldn't understand." The brunette smiles and shuts the door, waving as the taxi drives off.

The blonde clutches the card in her hand and smiles. "Right."


End file.
